Ecommerce PPC agency
Campaigns with targets calculated on margin, not revenue. We propose which products to push, when and with what budget, and check every campaign with a fixed routine: spend, real purchases, cost per purchase against break-even.
First question: what margin do you make on the product?
Running a campaign is easy; making it sustainable isn’t. Before starting we look at the 4 Ps and the margin, category by category and price by price. If the margin doesn’t hold up, we say so before spending.
The math starts from margin
A 300% ROAS looks good until your gross margin is 30%: at that point every dollar spent loses a little. That’s why the first number we calculate is break-even, and targets sit above it.
Break-even cost per purchase is recalculated on the average order value of the categories active in the campaign, not the site average: if you push outerwear, outerwear’s order value is what counts.
- Break-even ROAS = 1 ÷ gross margin
- Break-even cost per purchase = average order value × gross margin
- ROAS “reported” by Google Ads and “real” ROAS on purchases only, read separately
Which products to push
Campaign structure decides where the budget goes. These are the rules we build it with.
One group per category and audience
Feed-only Performance Max, with asset groups split by category and gender: spend and return are read group by group.
No catch-all groups
Generic groups soak up budget on low-value products and hide what works. They get paused.
High order value first
Categories with higher order values can sustain a higher cost per purchase: budget goes there first.
Signals from real data
Audience signals start from GA4 and are checked against real orders: a segment that doesn’t buy doesn’t become a “persona”.
Feed ready before budget
GTINs, titles, availability and Merchant Center diagnostics sorted before spending. Without them the campaign has nothing to work with.
Season and stock
We push what’s in season and in stock; sold-out products leave the campaign instead of wasting impressions.
The conversions that drive bidding
Google Ads optimizes for whatever you tell it to count. As primary conversions we keep the purchase, with the real order value, and begin checkout with a low fixed value: it gives the model volume when purchases are few, without inflating returns.
GA4 events stay secondary: they’re observed but don’t drive bidding, so the same purchase is never counted twice. The “cost per conversion” Google shows includes checkouts: we calculate the real cost per purchase separately.
- Consent Mode v2 with consent denied by default
- Google Tag Manager, server-side too when data gets lost
- Meta Pixel plus Conversions API
The control routine
Every campaign gets the same checks, always in the same order.
1. Spend vs budget
The first signal: it tells you whether the target lets the campaign spend.
2. Conversions by action
Purchases and checkouts separated, value, reported ROAS and purchase-only ROAS.
3. Cost per purchase vs break-even
Using the order value of active categories and a recalculated break-even.
4. Product groups
Status and spend for each group: which ones work, which spend without selling.
5. Feed and ads
Merchant Center diagnostics, disapproved products, ad strength.
6. Data read, not estimated
The current day is excluded; if a number can’t be read we say so instead of guessing.
When a target changes
Decisions follow rules written in advance, not the mood of the day. Google’s automated recommendations aren’t applied while the campaign is relearning.
Thresholds are indicative: they’re set for each store based on margin, order value and purchase volume.
On Meta: one product, one landing page
On Meta we don’t push the whole catalog. We pick one very specific product type, with margin and appeal checked against the 4 Ps, and promote it with a dedicated landing page: the product, the photos, why to buy it and a single possible action, buying. No suggested products, no categories, no menus to wander off into.
We design the landing page’s content, copy and photos; campaign, audiences and creatives are measured on purchases of that product.
Channels
Same method on every channel: margin-based break-even, selected products, measured on real purchases.
Google Performance Max and Shopping
Feed-driven campaigns split by category and audience, with budget going first to high order value categories.
Google Search
Only precise commercial intent: searches from people about to buy, no scattered awareness spend.
Meta Ads
One product type at a time, with a dedicated landing page where the only possible action is buying that product.
eBay: Promoted Listings general and priority
General (cost per sale): you pay an ad rate only if the item sells within 30 days of a click, and that rate must fit inside the margin. Priority (cost per click): keywords and a daily budget, on listings that already convert.
Our process, month by month
One point of contact, a monthly call and a report with numbers read, not estimated.
- Step 1
Prerequisites
Tracking, Consent Mode, feed and Merchant Center checked; gross margin by category and break-even calculated.
- Step 2
Structure and budget
Which categories to push, product groups, budget by channel and targets above break-even.
- Step 3
Checks
The six-step routine and target rules, with changes proposed and approved.
- Step 4
Report and call
Spend, purchases, cost per purchase, real and reported ROAS, order value, break-even; work done and planned.
Ecommerce PPC FAQs
The questions we hear before we start.
How much budget do I need to start?
It depends on margin and order value. We start from break-even and concentrate budget on a few categories: with few purchases a month there isn’t enough data to decide, and spreading budget thin makes it worse.
What’s the difference between reported and real ROAS?
Reported ROAS is what Google Ads shows and can include conversions other than purchases, like begin checkout. Real ROAS counts purchases only. Decisions are made on real ROAS.
Do you use Performance Max or standard Shopping?
In our accounts we run feed-only Performance Max with groups split by category, so spend stays readable group by group. The choice is reviewed on each store’s data.
Do you manage eBay Promoted Listings?
Yes. With general (cost per sale) campaigns you pay an ad rate only on sales within 30 days of a click: we set it based on the category margin. Priority campaigns are cost per click, with keywords and budget: we use them on listings whose titles and item specifics are already in good shape.
How do you run Meta ads?
With campaigns dedicated to one specific product type and a landing page where the only thing you can do is buy that product, with no related products or categories. Tracking runs through the Pixel and Conversions API.
Why doesn’t Google Ads match my store’s orders?
Attribution, conversion windows, consent and micro-conversions. That’s why we compare Google Ads conversions with real orders and state the gap.
How much does PPC management cost?
A monthly fee of 500€ per channel: Google Ads, Meta Ads or eBay Promoted Listings. The fee covers up to 2,000€ of monthly budget per channel; above that, it goes up 100€ for every extra 1,000€ of budget, in steps rather than as a percentage. You pay ad budgets directly to the platforms. Details on our Pricing page.
Related services
At what ROAS do your campaigns break even?
With your average margin and access to Google Ads, we calculate break-even by category and show you where the budget is going.